Missouri’s Congressional Delegation has responded to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s order that over 4000 structures be removed from Ameren Missouri’s property at the Lake of the Ozarks.
Ameren submitted two years ago a shoreline management plan as required by the Commission. In July, FERC rejected the utility’s proposal and issued its own plan that called for those structures, which include decks, gazebos, docks and more than 1,200 homes, be removed.
The structures have been built in the more than 80 years since Ameren bought its property around the Lake. Shoreline Manager Jeff Green attributed the construction to the misinterpretation of deeds over the years.
Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler has told the House the owners of those structures have clear title to the land they are built on. The bill she has filed with Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer would prohibit the Commission from issuing plans with such requirements. A similar bill has been filed by Missouri Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt.
Missouri’s entire Congressional Delegation also signed a letter to FERC over the matter in September.
Green says rather than remove the structures, Ameren wants to shift its boundaries in a way that many would no longer be on its land, and permit the rest to remain in place.
AUDIO: Hear Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler’s statement on the U.S. House Floor about the bill.
See our earlier story on the issue here.